The present invention concerns a method and an arrangement for verifying that individually presented items of mail provided with individually unique machine-readable identity codes. In particular, a method and an arrangement are concerned that identify individual items of mail and check whether these agree with information concerning expected items of mail.
The use of individually unique identity codes in a machine-readable form in order to guide and regulate the combination of units to one item of mail is previously known.
The information that is coupled to the codes is normally stored as mail information in a database and it can be used to guide and regulate printers, to identify and regulate the combination of individual units, such as individual sheets of paper, to one item of mail, to guide and regulate folding, choice of envelope, combination, sealing and franking of the item of mail. This process is often named “enveloping” and the equipment for it is known as “enveloping machines”.
Currently available enveloping machines have a very high reliability, but it does happen that errors arise, given the high speeds of processing that current productivity requirements demand. There may, for example, arise errors in the handling (not only the mechanical handling but also the logical handling) such that an item of mail is incomplete, duplicated, or such that a displacement of the intended contents between items of mail takes place. It may also happen that an operator intervenes and causes a second, sometimes larger and more extensive error, in an attempt to correct an error.
When an error arises and a job may encompass a large number, possible many thousands, of items of mail, it is easy to realise that it will be difficult to identify which of the individual items of mail must be produced again. It may be the case, if the job is an important one, that the complete job must be rerun and the correct items of mail that were produced in the partially unsuccessful run must in this case be destroyed. The requirement for destruction is a result of the desire to ensure to avoid the risk of sending duplicate, something that is directly expensive should the items of mail contain value coupons, checks or similar, and indirectly expensive should it be the case that it will irritate customers and create negative feelings among them.
Thus, there are shortcomings in the prior art technology with respect to verifying individually presented ready-to-post items of mail.
It is thus one aim of the present invention to reduce or eliminate shortcomings within the prior art technology and to achieve an efficient verification of ready-to-post items of mail.
It is a further aim to achieve information that can be used for reliable follow-up of production.